America’s Harvard University will cooperate in the Chhattisgarh government’s ambitious Rural Industrial Park (RIPA) scheme.

As part of a MoU signed between the State Planning Commission and the Transforming Rural India Foundation, a two-day workshop began on Thursday at the Planning Commission office at Nava Raipur, an official communication said.

The training is being imparted by Dr Andre Nogueira, Co-founder and Deputy Director of the Design Laboratory (D-Lab) at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The training is being imparted to develop Community Design Facilitator.

The Deputy Chairman, State Planning Commission, Ajay Singh, said RIPA is an important scheme of governance.

The key objective of the scheme is to include those who have been left out of the mainstream of development. The Commission will make efforts for the success of the scheme.

Chief Minister’s advisor Pradeep Sharma said RIPA will give a new dimension to the prosperity of the village.

Special emphasis has been laid on non-farm activities, for which Harvard’s assistance will be taken. The priority is given to diverse sectors like forest produce, service-based industries and FMCG under the RIPA scheme.

Dr Nogueira explained in detail how to design a thinking framework which can be used in social and public policy.

Village Gauthan committee members of Raipur, Raigarh, Kanker and Bastar districts as well as entrepreneurs and members of self-help groups participated in the workshop.